Garment having a combination jacket and vest

ABSTRACT

A garment having a jacket and a removable vest is provided. The vest includes first and second front vest panels, each having proximal and distal side edges, with each distal side edge being joined to a respective side edge of a rear vest panel. A pair of openings to be called armholes are formed through the vest. The jacket includes first and second front jacket panels, each having proximal and distal side edges, with each distal side edge being joined to a respective side edge of a rear jacket panel. A pair of sleeves are joined to the jacket such that the vest may be worn over the jacket, with the pair of sleeves projecting through the pair of openings. Releasable fasteners are provided for both jacket and vest, arrayed so that the vest and jacket may be closed either by securing the opposing edges of vest to one another and the opposing edges of the jacket to one another, or by attaching jacket to vest by securing one edge of the jacket to the opposite edge of the vest so that the vest is wrapped across the front of the ensemble before the arms of the wearer are inserted trough the armholes of the vest.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to provisional application 60/972,900 filed on Sep. 17^(th) 2007 titled Garment Having a Combination jacket and Vest.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a having a combined jacket and vest, either through the releasable attachment of a vest to a jacket, or through the fabrication of a single garment having the design of both a jacket and a vest. In either embodiment, the resulting garment includes closure by the wrapping of the vest portion of the combined garment over the jacket portion and around the wearer in such a way as to trap part of the jacket under the vest, effecting a closure of the front of the garment to the elements.

2. Description of the Related Art

Both vests and jackets are well-known in the field of garments and clothing. Vests and jackets are most commonly treated as unconnected articles of clothing to be worn either separately or together in layers. A vest may be connected to a jacket as an inner liner to the jacket, providing a hidden layer of insulation under the jacket and the ability to wear the vest separately from the jacket.

It is desirable to provide the design of a single garment or jacket and vest ensemble such that a jacket and vest may be donned or removed as a unit, yet still achieve a layered effect with the vest layer over the jacket layer. It is also desirable that the garment or ensemble be designed so that in wearing the vest over the jacket, the jacket and vest may be joined to one another so that upon repeated removal and re-accouterment, the combined garment need not be zipped, buttoned or otherwise fastened across the front in order to protect the wearer against the elements, but will cover the front of the wearer by the unique method of drapery facilitated by its design.

Further, it is desirable that this effect be accomplished in a way that allows the wearer various other ways of wearing the garments, such as the wearing of only the vest or only the jacket, or the wearing of the vest over the jacket in the customary fashion and either connected or not interconnected according to the use of this invention.

Vests are often worn alone, primarily for their fashion value and appearance, but typically do not provide much warmth or protection from the elements to the user. Although jackets provide greater coverage for the wearer, jackets are often considered plain and lacking in visual style. It would be desirable to provide a garment which offers the warmth and coverage of a jacket combined with the visual style of a vest.

Although one could easily wear a vest over a jacket, a typical and conventional vest would not stay in place on the jacket, as a conventional vest is not provided with suitable fixtures or fasteners. Thus, it would be desirable to provide a vest and jacket combination including fastening means for releasably retaining the vest to the jacket, while further providing the user with the option of wearing either garment separately.

None of the above inventions, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. Thus, a garment having a combination jacket and vest solving the aforementioned problems is desired.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A garment having the features of a jacket and a vest is provided. The vest and jacket may have any desired configuration, dimensions, contouring or style, dependent upon the particular needs and desires of the user, with the vest being adapted to be worn conjoined with the jacket in a manner facilitating the wrapping of the vest about the about the shoulders of the wearer as a layer above or below the jacket. The jacket and vest may, similarly, be formed from any desired material, without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention.

The vest includes first and second front vest panels, each having a proximal side edge and a distal side edge, with each distal side edge being joined to a respective one of the side edges of a rear vest panel. It should be understood that the front vest panels may be joined to the rear vest panel through any suitable means of securement, such as stitching or the like, dependent upon the particular needs and desires of the user. Alternatively, the rear vest panel and the front vest panels may be formed as an integral unit from a single piece of material or as a single, knitted or woven unit. A pair of sleeve-receiving openings (e.g. arm holes) is further formed through the vest. The vest may include further ornamentation or conventional garment elements, such as pockets or the like, dependent upon the particular needs and desires of the user.

The jacket includes first and second front jacket panels, each having a proximal side edge and a distal side edge, with each distal side edge being joined to a respective one of the side edges of a rear jacket panel. It should be understood that the front jacket panels may be joined to the rear jacket panel through any suitable means of attachment, such as stitching or the like, dependent upon the particular needs and desires of the user or the requirements of manufacturing processes. Alternatively, the rear panel and front panels of the jacket may be formed as an integral unit from a single piece of material. A pair of sleeves are further joined to the jacket such that the vest may be wrapped around the jacket and worn over it, with the pair of jacket sleeves projecting through the pair of sleeve-receiving openings. The jacket may include further ornamentation or conventional garment elements, such as pockets or the like, dependent upon the particular needs and desires of the user.

In the first embodiment, the pair of side edges of the vest have a male zipper portion and a female zipper portion (having one or two zipper sliders slidably mounted thereon) respectively affixed thereto. The jacket further includes a female zipper portion and a male zipper portion, as is conventionally known. In the preferred embodiment, the male and female zipper components of the vest and jacket are arrayed so that one side of the front of the vest may be zipped to the opposite side of the front of the jacket, thus allowing a conventional vest to be releasably secured to a conventional jacket through securement of the male zipper portion of the jacket with the female zipper portion of the vest, or vice versa, in such a way as to support the wrapping of the connected vest around the wearer as a second layer which has the property of closing the front of the combined garment to the elements.

In a further alternative to the expression of the first embodiment, any of the above methods of fastening vest to jacket may be effected by the use of a zipper design which features opposing sides, each capable of connection in both a male or female role, or by the use of buttons, hooks, interlocking tabs, adhesive fabrics or other fastening system.

In a second embodiment, a garment evincing the characteristics of both jacket and vest may be so constructed as to be a one-piece garment, either permanently joined at the juncture of a jacket design and a vest design by means of a seam instead of a zipper or other fastening mechanism, or cut from one or more pieces of cloth or other material, or knitted or woven in such a way that the transition from jacket design to vest design is not a connection but a continuous span of material.

In a third embodiment of the invention, a manufacturer, retailer, designer or other vendor of clothing concepts may, singularly or in partnership with another business or vendor have in inventory, production, or other means of provision, an ensemble of jacket(s) and vest(s) such that they may be combined as in the above descriptions. These pre-existing or coincidentally available garments may be presented to the public or to other vendors as suitable for combination and attire according to the descriptions above. This presentation of suitability may be accomplished through advertisement, demonstration, display or exhibition of any sort that will induce others to appreciate that the garments may be combined or conjoined or ultimately used according to any of the above descriptions.

In a fourth embodiment of the invention, the jacket and vest may be connected one to the other by the use of a secondary fastening system on the jacket that is provided in addition to the fasteners used to close the jacket in the traditional way. Thus instead of the fasteners on the front of jacket and vest serving to fasten the garments closed in both a traditional manner and, used in another mode, the manner of this invention, an additional fastening system would serve to conjoin the jacket and the vest.

These and other features of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1A-1E illustrate the method steps of attaching and wearing a combination jacket and vest according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective attachment view of an alternative embodiment of the garment having a combination jacket and vest.

FIG. 3 illustrates a top view of a jacket and vest, worn in the traditional way and having the vest secured to the jacket with a secondary zipper.

FIG. 4A is a perspective, attachment view of an alternative embodiment of the garment having a combination jacket and vest according to the present invention.

FIG. 4B is an environmental, perspective view of the garment having a combination jacket and vest of FIG. 4A.

FIG. 4C is an environmental, perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the garment having a combination jacket and vest according to the present invention.

FIG. 4D is an environmental, perspective view of another alternative embodiment of the garment having a combination jacket and vest according to the present invention.

Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention is directed towards a garment 10, 100, 200, having a jacket and a removable vest. Although the jacket 22 and vest 12 are shown in the Figures as having a particular style, size and contour, it should be understood that garments 10, 100, 200 are shown in the Figures for exemplary purposes only. The vest 12 and jacket 22 may have any desired configuration, dimensions, contouring or style, dependent upon the particular needs and desires of the user, with the vest 12 being adapted to be attached to jacket 22 in a manner that facilitates the wrapping of the connected vest about the jacket so as to create an enclosing outer layer which closes the front of the ensemble (to be described in greater detail below).

The combination jacket and vest is particularly advantageous for children or the infirm, in that once the vest has been initially fixed to the jacket, the securement elements will not have to be adjusted or re-fastened thereafter, yet the combined garment can be removed and donned repeatedly in such a way as to fully enclose the wearer, protecting the front of the body from the elements. As shown in FIG. 1A, vest 12 (to be described in greater detail below, particularly with regard to the alternative embodiment of FIGS. 4A and 4B) has been attached to jacket 22 via a zipper 300. Zipper 300 is simply the male zipper portion of one of the jacket 22 or vest 12 joined to the corresponding female zipper portion of the other garment piece, as shown. As shown in FIG. 1A the vest 12 and jacket 22 are initially zipped together. It should be noted that a single garment formed as a unitary body, including a jacket portion and a vest portion could alternatively be constructed, thus removing the necessity for zipper 300.

In FIG. 1B, the user is shown donning the jacket 22, with one arm (on the left-most side of the exemplary drawing; i.e., the user's right arm) positioned within the corresponding jacket sleeve 24. The user then inserts his or her other arm into the other sleeve 24, as shown in FIG. 1C. As indicated by directional arrow 310, the vest 12 is now drawn across the front of the user's body and the front of jacket 22. In the Figure, the user's arm shown to the left (i.e., the user's right arm) is inserted into the opening 16, which is also shown to be the left-most opening in vest 12 in the exemplary Figure.

Once the user's arm has been inserted, as in FIG. 1C, the vest 12 is drawn across the back of the wearer (shown in FIG. 1D), the right-most arm of the user (i.e., the user's left arm in FIG. 1D) is inserted into the right-most opening 16 (shown by directional arrow 320).

In FIG. 1E, the vest 12 is now shown draping the jacket 22, with the right panel of vest 12 being fastened to the left front panel of jacket 22. This closes and seals the combined garment about the user. Since the right side of the vest 12 is attached to the left side of the jacket opening, the vest 12 is pulled across the front opening of jacket 22, sealing the garment about the user's body. The left side of vest 12 remains open to create a casual visual effect. The vest 12 may be separated from jacket 22, to be worn in a conventional manner, or vest 12 may remain secured to jacket 22, thus saving the user from having to reattach the garments, each to the other, or having to zip the garment closed against the elements in the future

Note that the same garment may be configured for the convenience of left-handed wearers when the points of attachment and the sequence of actions in donning the jacket-vest combined garment are reversed by exchanging the words “left” and “right” through all parts of the foregoing description.

It should be understood that additional ornamental elements, such as a fob, charm or the like, attached to any of the zipper sliders, may further be added without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Further, patterns and colors of the individual garment pieces are dependent upon the particular needs and desires of the user. For example, in FIG. 1E, vest 12 and jacket 22 may be colored with differing solid color patterns. Thus, an alternating color effect will be achieved when vest 12 is worn over jacket 22. Alternatively, vest 12 could have a camouflage or plaid pattern, with jacket 22 being uniformly colored. Similarly, jacket 22 could have a camouflage or plaid pattern, with vest 12 having a solid color. Alternatively, both jacket 22 and vest 12 could have patterns, either identical or differing, dependent upon the needs and desires of the wearer. Such patterns may include, for example, stripes, polka dots, user-selectable indicia or the like. These patterns may appear on a single side of the reversible garment, or on both sides. Differing patterns may be used on opposing sides of the reversible garment.

In a set of alternate embodiments of the invention, FIGS. 2, 3, 4D and 4C illustrate methods of attaching a vest and jacket through the utilization of supplemental sets of zippers.

In the alternative embodiment of FIG. 4C, the vest includes a pair of side edges 20, 18, with edge 20 having a male zipper portion 110 affixed thereto, and with edge 18 having a female zipper portion 120 (having the zipper slider mounted thereon) affixed thereto. It should be understood that the choice of left-mounted and right-mounted zipper portions is shown for exemplary purposes only, and that the male and female portions may be reversed (as may be the case with any of the embodiments included herein).

Jacket 22 includes a female zipper portion 140 and a male zipper portion 130, as is conventionally known, and the male zipper portion 130 of jacket 22 is positioned adjacent the female zipper portion 120 of vest 12, thus allowing a conventional vest to be releasably secured to a conventional jacket.

As shown in FIG. 4C and further in the alternative embodiment 10 of FIG. 4D, the vest 12 includes first and second front vest panels 14, each having a proximal side edge 18, 20, respectively, and a distal side edge, with each distal side edge being joined to a respective one of the side edges of a rear vest panel 30. It should be understood that the front vest panels 14 may be joined to the rear vest 30 panel through any suitable means of securement, such as stitching or the like, dependent upon the particular needs and desires of the user, and further dependent upon the particular fashion style of vest 12.

A pair of sleeve-receiving openings 16 are further formed through the vest 12. Sleeve-receiving openings 16 may be sized, contoured and positioned dependent upon the particular needs and desires of the user, and further upon the particular fashion style of vest 12. The vest 12 may include further ornamentation or conventional garment elements, such as pockets or the like, dependent upon the particular needs and desires of the user. A pocket 26 is illustrated in FIG. 2, though it should be understood that any suitable number of pockets, of any desired configuration, may be provided, with each pocket being positioned dependent upon the needs and desires of the user. Further, as will be described in greater detail below, vest 12 is preferably reversible, thus pockets, such as pocket 26, may be provided on either the inside or outside (or both) of vest 12. Vest 12 is further shown as having an exemplary collar 28.

The jacket 22 includes first and second front jacket panels 36, each having a proximal side edge 19, 21 and a distal side edge, with each distal side edge being joined to a respective one of the side edges of a rear jacket panel 38. It should be understood that the front jacket panels 36 may be joined to the rear jacket panel 38 through any suitable means of securement, such as stitching or the like, dependent upon the particular needs and desires of the user, and further dependent upon the particular fashion configuration of jacket 22. Jacket 22 and vest 12 may be formed from any suitable material, dependent upon the particular needs and desires of the user.

A pair of sleeves 24 are further joined to the jacket 22 such that the vest 12 may be releasably worn over the jacket 22, with the pair of sleeves 24 removably projecting through the pair of sleeve-receiving openings 16 of vest 12. Similar to that described above with regard to vest 12, the jacket 22 may include further ornamentation or conventional garment elements, such as pockets or the like, dependent upon the particular needs and desires of the user, and further dependent upon the particular fashion style of jacket 22. Jacket 22 is shown as having a collar 40.

With particular reference to the alternative embodiment of FIG. 4D, first fastening means are provided for releasably sealing the proximal edges 19, 21 of the first and second front jacket panels 36 together. The first fastening means is a zipper in the preferred embodiment, however, any suitable releasable and selectively adjustable fastener, such as snaps or hook and loop fasteners, for example, may be utilized, dependent upon the particular needs and desires of the user. The first fastening means in the preferred embodiment includes two sets of zipper teeth 44, 46, each joined to a respective one of edges 19, 21. The zipper teeth 44, 46 may be mounted directly thereto, or may be secured to separate flaps or the like, which are then secured to edges 19, 21 through stitching or the like. A zipper slider is provided on one of the sets of zipper teeth 44, 46.

Second fastening means are further provided for releasably securing the vest 12 to the jacket 22. Preferably, the second fastening means is also a zipper, however, any suitable releasable and adjustable fastener, such as snaps or hook and loop fasteners, for example, may be utilized, dependent upon the particular needs and desires of the user. As described above, in the preferred embodiment, each proximal side edge 19, 21 of the front jacket panels 36 includes a set of zipper teeth 44, 46 formed thereon, with one of the sets having the zipper slider mounted thereon. Similarly, each proximal side edge 18, 20 of the front vest panels 14 includes a set of zipper teeth 32, 34 formed thereon. The proximal side edge of one of the front jacket panels (shown as edge 21 of the right jacket panel in exemplary FIG. 2, though it should be understood that either proximal side edge may be utilized) includes a second set of zipper teeth 42 such that the jacket 22 may be sealed and closed about the wearer (via engagement of zipper teeth 44, 46), and one set of zipper teeth 32 of the vest 12 may engage the second set of zipper teeth 42 of the jacket 22 to releasably join the jacket 22 and the vest 12.

It should be understood that the second set of zipper teeth 42, along with the zipper 32, 34 of vest 12, are shown for exemplary purposes only, and that any suitable means for releasably joining the vest 12 to the jacket 22 may be utilized, such as, for example, snaps or hook and loop fasteners. Further, as noted above, the vest is preferably a reversible vest. The vest 12, shown in the exemplary Figures, includes two sets of zipper teeth 32, 34 such that the vest 12 may be reversed and the corresponding set of zipper teeth may still engage the second set of zipper teeth 42 formed on the jacket 22. As best shown in FIG. 3, one proximal side edge 20 of vest 12 cam remain free when worn over jacket 22, thus creating a unique and appealing visual appearance.

It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims. 

1. A garment having a combination jacket and vest, comprising: a vest, comprising: a rear vest panel having opposed side edges; and, first and second front vest panels, each having a proximal side edge and a distal side edge, each said distal side edge being joined to a respective one of the side edges of said rear vest panel, a pair of sleeve-receiving openings being formed through said vest; a jacket, comprising: a rear jacket panel having opposed side edges; first and second front jacket panels, each having a proximal side edge and a distal side edge, each said distal side edge being joined to a respective one of the side edges of said rear jacket panel; and, a pair of sleeves, whereby said vest is adapted to be releasably worn over said jacket, the pair of sleeves of said jacket removably projecting through the pair of sleeve-receiving openings; and means for releasably sealing the proximal edge of one of the said front jacket panels to the proximal edge of the opposite front vest panel.
 2. The garment having a combination jacket and vest as recited in claim 1, wherein said jacket and said vest are formed as a single unit, one proximal vest panel being permanently joined or integrally woven to the opposite proximal jacket panel.
 3. A garment having a combination jacket and vest, comprising: a vest having first and second free, front side edges; a first set of zipper teeth being mounted to said first free, front side edge of said vest; a second set and a third set of zipper teeth each being mounted to said second free, front side edge of said vest; a jacket having first and second free, front side edges, whereby said vest is adapted to be releasably worn over said jacket; a fourth set and a fifth set of zipper teeth each being mounted to said first and second free, front side edges of said jacket, whereby the wearer may engage the third set of zipper teeth to the fifth set of zipper teeth to secure the vest to the jacket so that the vest may be wrapped about the wearer either with the vest crossing the opening of the front of the jacket so that the arm opposite of the point of attachment my be inserted through the vest armhole nearest the point of attachment, or with the vest wrapping away from the front opening so that the wearer's arm closest to the point of attachment may be inserted through the armhole of the vest that is closest to the point of attachment.
 4. A garment having a combination jacket and vest, comprising: a vest having first and second free, front side edges; a set of male zipper teeth being mounted to said first free, front side edge of said vest; a set of female zipper teeth being mounted to said second free, front side edge of said vest; a jacket having first and second free, front side edges, whereby said vest is adapted to be releasably worn over said jacket; male and female sets of zipper teeth each being respectively mounted to said first and second free, front side edges of said jacket, whereby the user may selectively, adjustably and releasably engage the female zipper teeth of said vest to the male zipper teeth of said jacket, said female zipper teeth of said vest being positioned adjacent said male zipper teeth of said jacket when said vest is worn over said jacket. 